Museum Hotel Deal Faces Many Hurdles

December 8, 2001|By Kathy Bushouse Staff Writer

BOCA RATON — Closing a multimillion-dollar deal to transform the International Museum of Cartoon Art into a five-star hotel could take at least three months, if not longer, a city official involved with the deal said on Friday.

Representatives from a nationally known hotel company met with City Councilman Dave Freudenberg and local developer David Ross on Friday afternoon to discuss bringing a five-star hotel to the museum site. The city owns the land underneath the building at Mizner Park, and Freudenberg wants to find a new use for the property since the Cartoon Museum is leaving Boca Raton.

The group met for about two hours and also toured the Cartoon Museum, Freudenberg said. Freudenberg refused to discuss details of Friday's negotiations.

The hotel company representatives must take the proposal for the 140-room luxury hotel back to their board of directors for review, Freudenberg said.

He declined to name the hotel company.

"If everything went perfect, it would be three months [before a deal finalized]," Freudenberg said. "And since I'm convinced it's not perfect, it will be longer."

Ross, a hotel developer whose former company built the Ritz-Carlton in San Juan, Puerto Rico, could not be reached for comment on Friday.

The museum building is owned by Mort Walker, creator of Beetle Bailey and the Cartoon Museum's founder, who wants at least $3 million for the 50,000-square-foot Mediterranean-style structure. He put it up for sale in August.

The hotel, as Freudenberg envisions it, would be a training ground for Lynn University hospitality students.

However, Lynn University has yet to receive a formal proposal.

Officials from Codina Realty Services, which operates Mizner Park, said they also have not seen a proposal.

Also, anything that would go into the museum's space would have to get the approval of the city's Community Redevelopment Agency, of which Freudenberg is chairman.

Freudenberg is expected to give an update on the hotel project during Monday's CRA meeting. Walker is expected to attend the meeting.

Councilwoman Susan Haynie said she didn't expect an easy time in finding a new tenant for the museum building, given the restrictions placed on the property. It must be occupied by a nonprofit group, and the city must be careful not to upset the tax-free status of $68 million in bonds issued to pay for infrastructure improvements at Mizner Park.

"There's about three or four different entities. It's a very complicated deal," Haynie said. "The whole thing is just fraught with hurdles. It's just kind of `stay tuned' and see how this all plays out."

Kathy Bushouse can be reached at kbushouse@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6641.